


Hux Can't Swim

by Flaming_dumpster



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, Swimming, mention of near drowning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-21 02:26:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16150592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flaming_dumpster/pseuds/Flaming_dumpster
Summary: Hux has a fear of large bodies of water due to past trauma, Kylo offers to help him





	Hux Can't Swim

As a boy on Arkanis, Hux was fascinated with water: from the way the ocean moved and the comforting trickling of a stream to the soft pitter-patter of rain and the way it felt on his skin. Young Armitage had been enamored. 

Until he had nearly drowned.

There had been a small rippling river down the hill from the family estate and oh, how little Hux had just want to learn how to swim. The waters had never been particularly fast or harsh in that area, but Hux had always been a wee thing and Mother Nature was not the forgiving kind, sweeping the boy up as soon as he had waded waist deep. 

At first he did his best not to panic, focusing his energy on keeping his head above water, but as the waters steadily grew more rough, his resolve began to fade. His saving grace had been when the river banked sharply to the left, and Hux had washed up on the pebbles of the shoreline. It took almost an hour for young Hux to stop shaking enough to stand and make the trek back home. 

Fortunately for the now much older Hux, large bodies of water were uncommon in space. Unfortunately, that meant Hux had never had the opportunity to face his fears properly—which brought him to his current predicament. 

The  _ Finalizer  _ was docked planetside, while he and the Supreme Leader had taken a shuttle down to meet with the leadership of the rural-yet-prosperous planet nation of Dechanteris. The planet contained important resources, and today marked the beginning of the negotiations for the rights to begin mining for them for the First Order. Hux had no issue with being part of the these negotiations; in fact, he didn’t entirely trust Ren not to screw it up somehow. He did, however, have an issue with the notion that they were to meet the high council on a relatively small island in the middle of a very large lake.

He had just been informed that the only way to reach it was by way of boat.

“And you are positive there is no way to land a small craft on the island?” he asked. 

“Positive, General,” Ren replied, side-eyeing him. Ren had been the one in contact with the council, making arrangements for when the negotiations would take place. “The parliament buildings take up nearly the entire landmass. There is no room to land any sort of craft.”

“How is that at all practical?” Hux said, mostly to himself.

“Get in the boat, General.”

Hux could hear the annoyance is Ren’s voice. He swore under his breath and stepped closer to the boat, standing next to Ren now. Hux nearly jumped when he felt a hand touch the small of his back.

“You’re trembling,” Ren said, much softer this time. 

“I am not,” Hux snapped. Feeling suddenly determined, he stomped away from Ren and boarded the small boat. His blood ran cold as the boat swayed. “Oh, kriff,” he muttered, plopping himself down into one of the benches in a painfully undignified fashion. 

“General.”

Hux’s eyes snapped open, unaware that he had closed them. Ren had boarded the boat after him, and was now standing in front of Hux, looking down at him.  

“What do you want?” Hux asked.

“You’re afraid.”

“I am not.”

“I can sense it.” Ren sat next to him on the bench. 

“Well, you’ve sensed wrong.”

The droid-operated boat lurched forward. Hux slapped his hands down on the bench on either side of himself, white-knuckled as he gripped the smooth wood. 

“I could teach you,” said Ren.

Hux glance at him. “Teach me what?” 

“How to swim.” 

When the bench under Hux’s hand moved, he realized it was not the bench he had latched on to, but Ren’s hand. He was grateful for the cool breeze coming off the water as his cheeks grew warm.

“I learned when I was a boy,” he said. “It’s easy once you know the basics.”

Ren pulled Hux’s gloved hand off the bench, covering it with both of his own, and gave it a distracting squeeze. Hux found himself nodding before he could stop himself.

“All right.” He looked down at their hands, feeling slightly dazed. “I did want to learn once.” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Feedback is more than welcome, and I'm always taking prompts and requests :)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr as flaming-dumpster  
> 


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